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My amazingly talented friend Calethia Deconto is moving again, and getting rid of most of her things. She said the fewer things she has, the more free she feels. “Having too much stuff is unhealthy. I think going too far with minimalism isn’t healthy either, but I look at this stuff and if I haven’t used it by now, let someone else have it, if they’re going to do something with it. I don’t need it.”

She gave me 50 square feet of brand new bamboo flooring she found by the side of the road in Sunland, CA. It was exactly the kind I planned to buy if I couldn’t find any!

I’m going with a light color flooring (and walls, ceilings, and cabinets) because it will make the house bright and cheery, and seem larger inside, instead of a little dark cave. Some friends of mine just installed very beautiful and very dark cabinets and hardwood floors in their house — the room’s feeling went from cheery to somber. My house needs to feel like a bright sunny day.

She also gave me the top from a desk. The wood is beautiful and exactly what I hoped for; it looks like cherry or something. And it’s exactly the right width and length I need: 2’x5′.

I’m going to cut it and turn it into a leaf table. At 4′ long with no leaf it will be the computer desk and have room for two people and two computers side by side.

With the leaf, at 5′ long it will be the dinner table and seat 6 people.

I’m amazed this and the flooring were exactly what I wanted.

She also gave me a slice of tree trunk; apparently you can get them at Michael’s Crafts (although I can’t find it on the Michaels.com website). I’m going to cut it in half and make two semi-circle shelves out of it; I want the house to feel a bit like a cabin in the woods.

Speaking of woodsy, she also gave me a small pair of deer antlers. I’ll either use them for some kind of coat rack, or for something else, like a wall sconce for a light.